Well people think of everything. Its an eerie sound, and enchanting too. Maybe it WOULD keep the birds and deer away. Let us know this fall.

Those look like different size and shapes of bottles as well as different size slits!
How unusual! Strange sounds too!
We don't use many plastic bottles, but folks
throw them out their car windows,
so maybe I will have enough to do this soon... LOL

Wow that is so cool, I am already looking for bottles and something to plug up the holes however I don't get much wind here. My dog doesn't like the shaman too much. Thanks for sharing that one.

OH!! That is too much!! With the winds we have been having here I could have quite an orchestra!!LOL I've got to try this!! Thank you for sharing!! JLily

Hi,
I love those! Do they just use like a broom handle?
I got to try it.
thanks for the idea.
Debby

I am the leader for the Jr. Gardeners here in the area. I think that the kids just may enjoy making these for their gardens. They would need their parents to cut the slits though, but they could paint the bottles themselves. You could even put hair on them or dress them up from the neck down with a plastic skirt if you would like. That would hide the join of the bottle to the stick. You could use a piece of copper pipe for the stick, place an copper end on it and glue it or silicone it with an outdoor glue of some sort to the bottom of the bottle lid.

Has anyone made one yet? Did it work?

How neat...I've got to make some....They'll probably scare the "heck" out of me if I'm home alone....They sound like ghosts....OOoooooOOOooooOOOOooo

out here where I live the wind blows down the hill all the time...and the deer eat all my garden veggies....Maybe this will help...

I wonder if the 1 inch pvc pipes would work...or unused pieces of water pipe.

thank you for posting.

patti

This really looks easy to make. I am going to try some. it scared my cats! We are having really windy weather here.

My dog didnt like it either, so I am hoping it would alarm other critters. You could do all sorts of paint jobs on them, although I kinda like the tribal/totem look, I was thinking either bamboo poles or dowels, or whatever you happened to pick up, broomsticks, little bits of rebar.
My neighbors are gonna hate me. I dont know if they enjoy my collection of windchimes or not, this may drive them over the edge.

Ohh, cool! This is the best idea I've seen in a while. Can't wait to try it. Thanks, WackyWeeder!

Barbara

I think they'd be fun to make. Does anyone have a suggestion on the type of paint to use on the bottles?

Just looking at this has given me a ton of ideas.

-I'm not sure what type of glue you could use. The GE silicone II might not work. I'd love to be able to paint it to look like like animals or something else and glue ears, other appendages and embellishments on it.
-I'm wondering how you would attach it to the wooden handle and keep it stable without sticking the handle through the bottle opening.
-I wonder if instead it would be easier to turn the bottle upside down and attach a wire hanger and string to it and have it dangle down like windchimes. I'm wondering if it would still produce a sound or if it does have to hang stationary.

How fun! I think you could use colored Sharpies to color them. Not sure what kind of paint would hold to plastic bottles.

1" pvc might be too thick, I'd go with 1/2 inch. Or wooden dowels? Copper is so expensive right now, that display would cost around $30 just for the copper! Would try to use GOOP products to glue the bottles to whatever stakes you'd use. What about rebar? Then use some kind of putty to hold the bottle to it. These are fun...we get A LOT of wind...they'd have to compete with my windchimes, but might be kind of cool!

Easy to attach them to the broomsticks.

Use some silicone to attach the LID to the broomstick, then run a couple of screws through the cap into the wood. Then just screw the bottle onto the bottle cap.

Easy!

Janie

I think that just might be the thing to help me get rid of the moles!!
thanks for sharing...
Mary

Hello all!!

I was just thinking that you could probably get a much more exacting cut in the bottle if you had filled and frozen it first. Then the bottle wouldn't collapse when you try to cut.

I can't wait to see the finished products!!

Becky

oh whoa!!!! that is so cool! We have a neighbor with a teenaged son who thumps music all afternoon until the 'rents come home--and all day during holidays. This might be a nice white noise action (unless it would keep me awake at night!)

(I've contacted the police but they can't do a thing about it. I'd have to get a signed petition from several neighbors. There's only one other housewife on the street, who, incidentally agrees with me--but wouldn't be enough signatures to get the police involved. grrr)

Heat up an old knife to cut the bottle. That way the bottle won't collaspe and it will be easier to cut.

I love this idea. I made 3 of them with some bottles i had and just stuck them on some bamboo i had for border just to see. And the wind has blowing good around here lately. They sounded so cool. Going to do more and put them everywhere in the garden. I think i'm going to paint the bottles. I think they are cool. Brenda

I've never seen these before Thanks fo the link. Probably scare the dogs next door!!

Be great for Halloween!!

Hi,
great idea.I made a couple.but I have a dumb question.
Do you put the slits into the wind? or is there a certain
direction that you put them to get the sound?
thanks,
Debby

I was thinking they would look great painted. I guess the spray paint for plastic would be the only thing that would work other thent he sharpies.
Betsy

With the wind we have been having, those will work great in my yard.

This just isn't fair, I don't have any wind, just rain, rain and more rain.

remember that the sound is made with the plastic vibrating. so to paint it might make it stiff. I just drew the slit with a permament market and then used a razor knife to cut down the middle...a pair of scissors worked fine. I think that if you just drill a small hole in the lid and then put a screw into a mop handle or dowell that you will need no glue and it will be quicker.

I thought about putting some "hair" on it but I think that would probably mess up the vibrations (using glue to put it on). So maybe a collar around the lid....

now those questions on the pvc pipe...go to the line at the bottom and you will find some of the regular wind harps like on the first site of pvc. There is a lot of history on wind harps but only this one for plastic bottles. The main thing is to have a container that only has the slit or a hole in so the wind is trapped inside and that makes the noise. June

Thought I'd let those of you know that are wondering if this bottle idea for wind wistles works, I tried it and sure enough it works great! I went one step futher and marblized the inside of the bottles in cobolt blues/greens/pinks/and reds/and turned dout just beatiful with the whistling.

TIP: Cut a small straight line slit and the higher the pitch will go :)

From now on I'll be replacing my garden totems for the plastic winter whitles :)

Try'em...
Is pretty cool :)

today I watched a program on tv...old mind forgets the name, HGTV. 6pm... A guy had a house with 20 musical instruments in it. One was attached to the wall and the wall was the resounder. Had a self made wind harp and his wife played it. He had one that went from his garage in santa Monica CA up to the top of the hill 800 feet..used brass wire....it was a wind harp. His garage was the resounder...it was played with brown jersey gloves on...dip fingers into something...and played it. He had to tune it from time to time....one row had paper lanterns hanging from it I guess for decoration and the others had wood sleeves that were tightened and untightened to get the perfect pitch...and they could play those things. I know from stories of telephone wires singing that just the wind would have played it...wonder what those neighbors thought.

Hi,
lastnight at the last second I decided to throw 4 of them together.I just did a little different slit on each one.then I screwed the caps into the dowels,put them in my yard right before the wind storm lastnight.they sounded awesome.but my neighbor called to see if everything was ok because her dogs kept howling everytime they heard them...lol thanks for the great idea.
I think I'm going to put different dog collars on them and position them around the yard.they will be my watchdog.my baby thinks he needs lots of help.
Debby

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:129735}}

Thank-you weedywacker. and you garden junkers
For your pics but I'm turning into one of you guys. I love all your wonderful projects. I'm trying to make a bee.
I've gotten this far now how to I put it in the garden. I'd like to try caps and dowls like you Red98 but can I put the bottle sideways?
Gizmo is Soooo cute.
Please note all the unfinished tufa projects because of you guys!!!! Love it though
{{gwi:129737}}

P.S.
Sorry about the hugh picture I'm just learning how to post pics.
Debbie

Hi Debbie,
I don't think that you can put them up sideways.but then again I don't know.so I would try it.it looks great tho.
and I love your tufa planter.thats going to be my next attempt.I want to make a grot.thanks I think my gizmo is kinda cute too.good luck.
Debby

What about glueing some colored marbles to part of it to reflect the light ?

Dina

Hi,
I'm an old lurker and looker here. I love checking out this site, to see what all of you creative people are up to.
These bottle harps are so neat...but I have a question. Do you cut only 1 slit in each bottle or a slit on each side of the bottle....so the wind can pass through it? How long and wide do you cut the slits?
TIA for your answers.

you need a bottle with a flat area. With the cap left on cause that makes the wind go in and whisle around...You can have one slit...I made mine about 3 or so inches (filling up the flat spot) and about 1/4 or 3/8 wide. Think about a glass bottle filled with liquid...you drink some and blow into the top, drink more and blow again. That is the kina thing the air needs to do in the plastic bottle. Be able to blow into the slit and circle back out to make the noise.
Good Luck.

well, i'm gonna have to try this now! i think there's a plastic bottle in the recycling bin this very minute.

I've gotta make me one of these! Very cool! Thanks for the link!!!!!1
Leasa

Call me Red,
I think the marblizing sounds really neat! I would like to try it with different colors in each bottle. Can you tell me how you did it?
Thanks ahead of time!
Sharon

OHMYGOSH!!!! This is the coolest new thing I have seen in a while! I've got to try this! This would be especially great for Halloween. Thanks for posting the idea, link and photos.

Wanda in South Texas

Here is a link that might be useful: The Bee Hive (my blog)

bumping this up, last night the wind was blowing today I find this, Need more winter projects "sounds" like a good one.

wacyweeder,great wind organ, would be a great sound on halloween!!!!

Somebody who did one or more: have you seen if black birds are afraid of these sounds?
I have problems with these birds that like to come and leave my chicken's food plate empty. So i'll try this weekend to put one or more and see if it helps.

Here are the ones I made...I still just love them...they are still singing...they sang all winter too. But they have really faded...so they either need a new paint job or just start over for another year..

{{gwi:129738}}

But sorry to say...they don't seem to bother the black birds....don't seem to bother any of the birds.

Why don't you try a scarcrow in the chicken yard with long arms made of raffia and tie jingle bells on them...so they will blow in the wind...

patti

How did you paint those? I like the effect.
By the way, I just took a car load to the bottle depot!!!! Why didn't I see this sooner?
Goes to show you
NEVER GET RID OF ANYTHING!

Candleberry....We squirted Gallery Glass inside and twisted the bottle around to let it run in different directions. I think it really turned out great....

I would like to paint the poles though..I don't like the white. I think the poles should be painted green so they would camo into the garden.

patti

To paint my bottles, I used the little bottles of craft paint.Pour several different colors inside, and swirl for a nice look.

How cool!

Pattico...those are beautiful!

I think I should just set up a ton of those in my yard...THAT'd fix my rude neighbors! LOL

I have been experimenting with Wind Harps. I have stretched out a 8 foot long steel wire on top of my shed. The slightest wind will vibrate the string and produce wonderful tonal sounds and harmonics. I use a home built dual humbucking magnetic pickup to pull these vibrations off the wire. A preamp is then used to amplify the signal enough to be brought into a sound card on my PC. I use Windows Media Encoder to allow broadcasting over the internet so everyone can hear. It makes nice background "music" that always changes. I have details at my blog:
botsmaker.blogspot.com/
I invite you to take a look and tell me what you think.

Here is a link that might be useful: My home page of robots

Am I the only one that thinks that these things look like something your kids would make? Plastic bottles and white PVC, seriously? Not in my windy garden. I love my birds and even my tacky trolls, but you won't find those trashy looking bottles in my 20 X 40 Little Piece of Paradise.